So, student pilots.. Who are we and where do we stand?

fiveoboy01 said:
Yes congrats to you!

Weather today was terrible... I mean BAD. DPE called me 2 hours prior to our appointment and asked if I wanted to do the oral today and the flight tomorrow. I said sure.

Oral exam went very well. I feel he went pretty easy on me but I did get a 97 on the written and was VERY organized and prepared with all the documentation he wanted to see right away. So I think that worked in my favor. Really nice guy... ATP retired, flew A319/A320 and 727/757/767s amongst others... I could have spent all day with the guy, I think he talked more than I did!

I think I am really going to enjoy the checkride tomorrow. I know I'll learn something for sure! Just hope I pass!
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How you organize and prepare is definitely something they look at, it's quite telling actually in how safe you will be as a pilot. Do the same for the ride and you'll have no problems.:wink2:
 
Thanks guys. Not a lot in the way of stories. Landing on a 2,200' grass strip(with some snow on it nonetheless) with a 172 was fun and the takeoff had a little pucker factor.

He did yank the engine on me as I was doing the upwind portion of the turn around a point. Nothing but trees so I quickly got a field to my right, turned to it and then dumped the flaps.

It was funny, at the beginning for the diversion he said "Well Madison is having a bunch of security issues, so we can't go back" and it took me a minute to realize he was serious haha.

He said my crosswind landings need refinement... Which is no surprise to me. Otherwise he said I did a pretty good job. So I'm happy for the most part with my performance.

If I can give any advice I'd say relax, just like Ron says. It's not going to be nearly as bad as you fear. As soon as I settled down, i completely enjoyed myself. It really was a fun flight.
 
I can't seem to get a lesson in where the wx is what I need for a solo. Lesson tomorrow is tentatively canceled due to gale force winds now through tomorrow evening. Hopefully they will die down for my Thursday and Friday lessons.
 
48dodge said:
I can't seem to get a lesson in where the wx is what I need for a solo. Lesson tomorrow is tentatively canceled due to gale force winds now through tomorrow evening. Hopefully they will die down for my Thursday and Friday lessons.
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I'm in the same boast....Have the plane reserved for Friday and Saturday mornings....
 
Newbie with about 12 hours. Have been doing pattern work and nominal "instrument" work (with the Jiffyhood), lots of touch and gos (at several different local airports), including in crosswinds. I feel really good about T/O, landings. When will I get used to power off stalls? When will I get used to accelerated stalls?

Anyone?

Miss the summer and the extra sun-time. Am limited to flying weekends now, and have to fight to get a good place on the schedule.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this. I wish I had started some years ago.
 
SPTN55 said:
Newbie with about 12 hours. Have been doing pattern work and nominal "instrument" work (with the Jiffyhood), lots of touch and gos (at several different local airports), including in crosswinds. I feel really good about T/O, landings. When will I get used to power off stalls? When will I get used to accelerated stalls?

Anyone?

Miss the summer and the extra sun-time. Am limited to flying weekends now, and have to fight to get a good place on the schedule.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this. I wish I had started some years ago.
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Hard to get "used" to stalls, but it'll come with practice.
 
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SPTN55 said:
Newbie with about 12 hours. Have been doing pattern work and nominal "instrument" work (with the Jiffyhood), lots of touch and gos (at several different local airports), including in crosswinds. I feel really good about T/O, landings. When will I get used to power off stalls? When will I get used to accelerated stalls?

Anyone?

Miss the summer and the extra sun-time. Am limited to flying weekends now, and have to fight to get a good place on the schedule.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this. I wish I had started some years ago.
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They will come, don't worry hang in there. If you ever want a person to discuss them with let me know. I work by KSUS and instruct at KSET
 
SPTN55 said:
Newbie with about 12 hours. Have been doing pattern work and nominal "instrument" work (with the Jiffyhood), lots of touch and gos (at several different local airports), including in crosswinds. I feel really good about T/O, landings. When will I get used to power off stalls? When will I get used to accelerated stalls?

Anyone?

Miss the summer and the extra sun-time. Am limited to flying weekends now, and have to fight to get a good place on the schedule.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this. I wish I had started some years ago.
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What's to get used to? They are what they are, they haven't killed you yet.
 
SPTN55 said:
Newbie with about 12 hours. Have been doing pattern work and nominal "instrument" work (with the Jiffyhood), lots of touch and gos (at several different local airports), including in crosswinds. I feel really good about T/O, landings. When will I get used to power off stalls? When will I get used to accelerated stalls?

Anyone?

Miss the summer and the extra sun-time. Am limited to flying weekends now, and have to fight to get a good place on the schedule.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this. I wish I had started some years ago.
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I was nervous about accelerated stalls until about the end of my training. I requested that we do power on and power off stalls with wing drops so I understood better. When I realized the an accelerated stalls doesn't have a wing drop as easily as the other two (at least for me) I got over them. But they are also not part of the PTS anymore and won't be part of the check ride. I found that our the night before my check ride but glad we worked them anyway.
 
AtlantaFalcons said:
Checkride prep... can't believe it's already here. Feels like yesterday when I first solo'd, now I'm done with all the requirements and have 41 hours in the logbook. Passed the written, now I hope to take the checkride in the next month or so.

I plan on doing a couple more lessons with my CFI (and maybe a different CFI too to switch it up a bit) to simulate the checkride. But other than that, I think I'm ready!

Feels pretty cool to go to the flight school for a solo practice flight and them knowing I can get it done without any special supervision. Can't imagine how great it'll be to have the PPL..
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I hope to be in your boat fairly soon. I did my first solo cross country last Saturday and will do my long cross country in a few hours hopefully. I will be right around 39 1/2 hours after today with only 1.2 worth of night flying left of my requirements. I haven't taken the written yet though. I'm very nervous about that since I didn't do a real ground school and its hard for me to learn without a set curriculum. Any advice for the written?
 
jdennis1989 said:
....I haven't taken the written yet though. I'm very nervous about that since I didn't do a real ground school and its hard for me to learn without a set curriculum. Any advice for the written?
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everyone will have different advice, and we don't really know what works best for you, but here's the 2-step program I would suggest:

1) Gleim Private Pilot Knowledge test book:
http://www.amazon.com/Gleim-Private-Pilot-Knowledge-Edition/dp/B00919PFF6

2) http://www.exams4pilots.org/

repeat over and over and over. whatever you get wrong on the practice test, go back to the book chapter and study it. supplement with whatever else you need (books, videos, online, etc...), but now that I've passed the written, I highly suggest this. over. and over.

and over.

someone here suggestions the "10 a day" method (search the forum and you'll find the thread, sorry I can't recall who it was) and I agree with this for early on, but as you get closer and closer, take the full 60 question test. that's right....over...and over....

EDIT: let me clarify, this method is JUST to pass the test. I'm not suggesting this as the best method to learn everything u need to learn.
 
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Exactly what eman2000 said. I used the exact same two resources and scored 97% on the written.

Go through the Gleim book and cover up the answers and honestly answer EVERY one. The ones you got right with no trouble, mark them off. The other ones, you know what you need to study. Take practice tests over and over and over. I was doing 4 practice tests a day in the week leading up to the written.

I concur on the "just to pass" advice. The prep guides are great for memorizing the answers, but the examiner will ask you to apply those answers in real-world situations, and just memorizing answers won't help you much there.

I know I basically just copy-catted the post above me, but the method works.
 
Henning said:
Do you gracefully confront them about their apparent weight vs what is reported and the importance of its accuracy? Do you guesstimate and correct your W&B accordingly (perhaps requiring alteration of fuel load and distance calculation)? How do you handle it?
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I have always had a hard time with asking Family and Friends their weight. No easy way around it. When you are close to Gross Wt. every OZ. counts.
 
SPTN55 said:
Quite simply dealing with that moment when you're no longer in control.
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When are you not in control? Just because the plane isn't making enough lift to fly does not mean you are not in control. Ask your instructor to do "Falling Leaf Stalls". In those you hold the yoke full aft in the stall and keep the wings level with the rudder.
 
I used the same stuff as eman2000 too for my written but changed to from exams4pilots to Sporty's Study Buddy (also free) but kept track of my scores, what I missed, and I could just answer questions from my weaker questions.
 
Been out of the left seat for 4-5 years now myself unfortunately. Really meaning to get back in the air again but it's expensive (naturally) and college and full time work trying to sell parts no one wants for free let alone at a discount.

The last thing I did was take a crash-course over a weekend for my IFR written. We slammed 16-18 hours at least over those two days at like 400 bucks for the course and I missed the written by one question. I think it's probably for the better though (minus the cost of all that my dad willingly handled), I'd rather know why a teardrop entry is this way instead of just memorizing and regurgitating.

Still looking for a place to start up again but OKC aviation charges like 200 an hour for almost all of their aircraft and like 60 an hour for instructor. Not sure where to start and what kind of job I'd be able to land (without a pun intended) flying small aircraft.

The wish list goes instrument - commercial - complex/possible multi or glider / tailwheel + aerobatic...
 
Knocked out all my PPL requirements with my CFI except a little bit of instrument time left. Doing simulated checkrides when weather is nice and have my face buried in the books when it isn't. Hoping to schedule the checkride before weather gets reliably rainy!
 
11/19/13 - I just submitted my info to medxpress last night and I'm scheduling an appt for my physical. I am currently researching flight schools.
 
Woohoo have my checkride next week, wish me luck guys. Hopefully the TFR around SFO ends after 11/25. Looks like Obummer is wasting out taxpayer funds again on fancy fund raising dinners.
 
Calrugerfan said:
11/19/13 - I just submitted my info to medxpress last night and I'm scheduling an appt for my physical. I am currently researching flight schools.
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I'd wait until you were ready to solo to get your medical done. What if it takes you 6 months to solo? You've just eaten up that time on your medical.

I had an interesting lesson today. It was so windy and bumpy my CFI was on the verge of getting air sick. 25kts of wind down to about 200' then it settled down to 10kt gusts sometimes crosswinds. I was a little tense afterwards.
 
48dodge said:
I'd wait until you were ready to solo to get your medical done. What if it takes you 6 months to solo? You've just eaten up that time on your medical.
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And if he fails the medical, he's just wasted 6 months of $ on flight training, which will cost MUCH more than renewing the medical.

He's doing the smart thing by getting it out of the way first.
 
skynewbie said:
Woohoo have my checkride next week, wish me luck guys. Hopefully the TFR around SFO ends after 11/25. Looks like Obummer is wasting out taxpayer funds again on fancy fund raising dinners.
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Congrats and good luck.

In principle, you could fly around a presidential TFR, provided you are outside the 10 mile ring and you file and activate a flight plan. They tend to be pretty complex, though. Extending an extra day is exceedingly unlikely. Moving TFRs around by a few hours, much less so.

Though, I'm not seeing the TFRs you're referring to in official sources.
 
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fiveoboy01 said:
And if he fails the medical, he's just wasted 6 months of $ on flight training, which will cost MUCH more than renewing the medical.

He's doing the smart thing by getting it out of the way first.
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I get your position. I just looked at it if I failed the medical it wasn't wasted money. I enjoyed the flying. But I also didn't have anything in my history that I was worried about. I may have even continued to fly while clearing the medical up. I agree if you are worried about your medical definitely knock it out first. Or at least get a discovery flight out of the way.
 
I am getting real close to applying for the CFI-A initial ride. I'm preparing for the 3rd and final stage check and I feel like I will never be ready. My wife has allowed me to chase this real big dream of being a pilot and I am nearly out of money. The stress levels for this ride are at all time highs.

Side note: I have been using the Arrow IV and I love it. To me it feels like I'm flying a much larger aircraft even though I am not. Must be the "T" tail.
 
Thanks MAKG, in spite of the TFR the day before my checkride, I will be ready. Had a good quick chat with the DPE to confirm things. I've been working extra hard lately and polishing my maneuvers to better than PTS standards. Doing ground review as well. MAKG here is the TFR that I am talking about next Monday in bay area with POTUS visit:

http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_3_2907.html

Fortunately my checkride is not until Tuesday so I am good. May just do ground study on Monday and see if way to VFR train earlier if ceilings and weather permit.
 
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How does POA feel about using pre-made CFI lesson plans for the checkride? I have been typing up as much stuff as possible but I think having some tried and true lesson plans would be effective.
 
NJP_MAN said:
How does POA feel about using pre-made CFI lesson plans for the checkride? I have been typing up as much stuff as possible but I think having some tried and true lesson plans would be effective.
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Same as I feel about checklists, I use the the book ones and reorganize them the way they make sense to me and then write them up. I find I learn the material better that way.
 
Henning said:
Same as I feel about checklists, I use the the book ones and reorganize them the way they make sense to me and then write them up. I find I learn the material better that way.
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Thanks for your input.

Anyone recommend any particular supplier for lesson plans? I am aware that part of being a cfi is being able to make your own lesson plans. I just want to have some top notch plans to teach from and as Henning said, reorganize them to fit my needs as I make my journey as a CFI.
 
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